Gaming
Garmin launches an Instinct smartwatch for esport athletes
Comes with exclusive features too

Garmin’s line of Instinct smartwatches traditionally caters to outdoor sports, with variants built for running, swimming, and even golfing. Now, the company is introducing a new smartwatch variant that caters to e-sport athletes and gamers — Garmin Instinct Esports Edition.
For some skeptics, this is not just another Garmin smartwatch though. It actually comes with a unique set of features for esports athletes and gamers. The most unique feature of the smartwatch is the ability to live stream the health data of a gamer to audiences.
Thanks to a dedicated esports activity tracking function, gamers can keep tabs on their heart rate and stress while in a gaming session. A PC tool called STR3AMUP! broadcasts these data to live stream platforms, allowing audiences to see a gamer’s vital info too. That tool also allows customization so gamers can personalize the data to their own liking.
Now, some might be skeptical about this. After all, health data are sensitive information and some audiences might not really find those data useful.
However, Garmin sees potential with their smartwatch all the more thanks to an exclusive live broadcast feature. During a game, gamers can tune in to the new Body Battery Energy Monitor reading, which combines heart rate, stress, and sleep data to determine their body’s energy.
Same specs as other Instinct smartwatches
Besides those unique selling points, Garmin Instinct Esports Edition is no different from the regular Instinct smartwatch. As such, it has a heart rate monitor, all-day activity tracking, and some smart features like receiving and viewing notifications.
Unfortunately, there is no support for third-party apps like other Garmin smartwatches. Support for music storage isn’t here too.
On the bright side, the smartwatch can stand the extreme elements thanks to a fiber-reinforced polymer body and a water rating of 10ATM. Garmin’s official battery figures are 80 hours in esports mode and 14 days in smartwatch mode.
As for the pricing, the smartwatch starts at US$ 299.99 and comes in a sole Black Lava configuration. Gamers can now purchase it directly from Garmin’s website.


Recently, Netflix gambled big on the future of its platform. Besides cutting a plethora of titles in production, the platform introduced a gallery of mobile games for all of its subscribers. As the gaming library grew, it acquired impressive titles from the best of the mobile gaming world. However, despite Netflix’s efforts, only less than one percent of the platform’s subscribers are playing the games.
In a new app study (via CNBC), Netflix’s games average only 1.7 million users daily. Overall, the games have been downloaded 23.3 million times.
Though not an insignificant number, the figure is a tiny, tiny portion of Netflix’s main user base. For reference, Netflix currently has around 221 million subscribers. That’s less than one percent of Netflix subscribers playing their games.
Netflix’s gaming strategy is an ongoing experiment. While the company has eyed the industry for a while now, Netflix is facing deeper gravitas with making sure every endeavor succeeds. As of late, the platform has bled for subscribers, new and old.
For the first time in a while, Netflix has lost subscribers, marking the rise in popularity of other streaming platforms. It isn’t the only shark in the lake. Hulu, Disney+, and HBO Max are creating compelling cases for a switch.
That said, if you still pay for a Netflix subscribers, the gaming library comes with the price of admission. Besides inspired titles from its properties like Stranger Things, the library also comes with heavy hitters like Spiritfarer.
SEE ALSO: Netflix’s The Gray Man is getting its own cinematic universe
Accessories
Razer releases giant-sized gaming mouse mats in the Philippines
The Strider Chroma and Goliathus 3XL

What’s better than a regular-sized gaming mouse pad? Giant-sized gaming mouse mats! In fact, two new ultra-sized gaming mouse mats from Razer, the Strider Chroma and Goliathus Chroma 3XL, are now both available in the Philippines.
The warp-and-water resistant Strider Chroma measures 900mm by 370mm and is 4mm thick. It is the world’s first hybrid soft/hard gaming mouse which come with 19 customizable lighting zones.
For an even larger mat that can cover an entire desk, the Goliathus Chroma 3XL measures a massive 1200mm by 550mm and is 3.5mm thick.
This soft mat is ideal for gamers who use lower DPI, or need to cover more ground while moving their mouse.
The two new accessories come with non-slip bases and are powered by Razer Chroma RGB to provide dynamic lighting effects while in-game.
The Strider Chroma is priced at PhP 8,490 while the Goliathus Chroma 3XL is available for PhP 6,990 via the Razer official website, Shopee, Lazada, and their authorized sellers nationwide.

For how much they cost, the Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Cons could certainly see more use outside of console exclusivity. Thankfully, developers are finding new ways to use controllers for other applications. If you want to get more use out of your Joy-Cons, Steam is working on compatibility for the Switch controllers.
In a new Steam beta test, Valve released support for Joy-Cons and other Nintendo controllers. As you can do with a Switch, players will soon be able to use either just one Joy-Con or both as a pair. However, since it’s in beta, individual games have not announced support specifically for the Joy-Con.
If anything, connecting the Joy-Con through Steam should be relatively easy. The gaming hub already offers plug-and-play support for most controllers available in the market. Of course, better support means that developers (and fans) can tailor settings depending on controller.
With the number of third-party games on the Switch, it’s believable that there are Switch players who are making first-time transitions to PC gaming. In that case, allowing Joy-Cons into PC gaming — albeit not the best controller for such — will prove a necessary jumping point.
Besides Steam, Apple is also working on support for the Switch controllers, adding new life to the tiny pair. As for Steam, however, Joy-Con support should officially come soon after the beta test.
SEE ALSO: iOS 16 will support Nintendo Joy-Cons
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